Writing Book Review: Ann Patchett’s The Getaway Car

Over the last couple years I’ve subjected myself to a lot of writer’s memoirs and even a few “How-To” books, and while the results haven’t always been pretty, they have been instructional (assuming you consider “Don’t ever read this writer again” as instructional).

I keep track of my reading on the GoodReads social site, the idea being I get a little jolt of satisfaction every time I finish a book and get to review it. Oddly, none of these reviews have appeared on the blog, and I thought I’d rectify that with a short review of Ann Patchett’s writing memoir: The Getaway Car.

Those looking for shortcuts to writing fame should probably continue their search elsewhere; Patchett is practical and blunt, and her advice applies to pretty much any writing endeavor (fiction, non-fiction, commercial).

Sit down and write, and if you can’t write, then just sit there until you do.

She described the writing fellowship that largely launched her career (envious), and the steps she took later when her writing life was complicated by interviews, travel and other trappings of a “successful” writer.

In one instance, she simply committed to writing an hour a day every day for a month, and because it worked so well, she kept doing it:

“…but it also worked because my life had gotten so complicated and I needed a simple set of rules.”

A short, interesting read, it’s a quick glimpse into yet another writer’s life, the details of which are remarkably similar to the lives of other working writers, but still intriguing.

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2 Comments

It’s always interesting to take a peek into another writer’s world. I’m not sure what the fascination is — I suppose it’s nice to think that if we all eat scrambled eggs in the morning like John Grisham*, then we’d all write best sellers. Or if we write with a purple pen. Or write while standing on our heads. Or whatever.

At the very least, it’s inspirational.

~Graham

*That comment is for entertainment purposes only. I have no idea what John Grisham eats for breakfast.

Graham Strong: It’s always interesting to take a peek into another writer’s world. I’m not sure what the fascination is — I suppose it’s nice to think that if we all eat scrambled eggs in the morning like John Grisham*, then we’d all write best sellers. Or if we write with a purple pen. Or write while standing on our heads. Or whatever.

I admit to looking at the habits of other writers with an eye for stealing, though it rarely has to do with the more superstitious aspects (like magic pens or stopping in the middle of a sentence).

I’ve got plenty of my own weird ideas.

Still, after reading a sizable biography of Einstein — where I learned he owned a week’s worth of suits so he could just get dressed in the morning without thinking about it — I bought a couple pairs of Dickie’s carpenter jeans and a couple dozen Army surplus t-shirts.

It was an affordable, comfy outfit that made for one less decision in the morning, and years later, that’s still the basic uniform (and yes, chicks dig it).

So score one for stealing.

Interestingly, I’ve had some fairly negative visceral reactions to some of the “How I Write” books (Scalzi’s leaps to mind), so it’s not as if I believe everything I read…

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the underground

For almost 30 years I've worked as a writer (most of it freelance). I'm also the father of two perfect little girls.

Despite these things, I remain mostly sane.

The Underground reflects my interest in all kinds of writing and all kinds of writers (though if you're looking for SEO advice, you're probably in the wrong place).